You are here: Home / Sports / Nations Cup: Eagles not good enough – Taribo

Nations Cup: Eagles not good enough – Taribo

December 17, 2012 by Kazeem Busari

Former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West

Former Super Eagles defender Taribo West has ruled the team out of the list of title contenders when the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in South Africa next year.

The former Inter Milan player had recently tipped the Eagles to make a surprise comeback in the tournament should they get enough quality friendly matches before the Nations Cup begins in January. His position on Sunday, however, showed he is not giving the team any chance when they face the likes of Zambia, the defending champions of the competition.

“I’m not expecting any miracle from the Eagles in South Africa. They have not grown to the level that can win the trophy,” Taribo said.

“Coach Stephen Keshi has done well in recent time by blending the players from the domestic league with the foreign-based players. The team is growing stronger by the day but I think they should be given more time to get better.

“I believe they’ll go to South Africa and perform well, but it’ll be a stepping stone for them to be a major force in the next two or three years. As for South Africa 2013, I’m not expecting much from them.

“If, however, they turn out to surprise everyone by winning the trophy, like Zambia did earlier in the year, they it’d be a plus for us.”

Taribo had recently called on the Nigeria Football Federation to arrange quality friendly matches for the Eagles in order to allow Keshi have the chance to select the best players.

“I see the Eagles getting better before the tournament if they can have quality friendly matches in their preparation. By then, we shouldn’t be afraid of other big teams like Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana,” he had said.

“I just hope the technical committee of the NFF will be able to arrange the necessary friendly games for them at the right time.”